About
(photo: Boaz Carmi @ Jewlicious Festival 2009)
Position
Currently, Rabbi Yonah has an amazing new gig – Executive Rabbi of JconnectLA. He continues to be Director of Jewlicious Festivals.
On The Web
JconnectLA.com
rabbiyonah.com
Facebook.com/rabbiyonah
Twitter.com/rabbiyonah
Jewlicious Festivals
Jewlicious.com
Bio
A dynamic teacher and community activist, Rabbi Yonah achieved international recognition as Director of The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation in Poland from 1998-2001. Rabbi Yonah has organized programs for Jewish students and young adults in ten countries. He is a former Fulbright Fellow, and completed a Masters degree in Polish-Jewish Studies at Oxford University and rabbinical studies at Ohr Somayach Yeshiva. He lives in Long Beach with his wife Rachel, Director of Hillel of Long Beach, and their four children.
Recent Work History
- Campus Rabbi, Long Beach Hillel 2004-2009
- Associate Rabbi UCI Interfaith Center 2004-2009
- Campus Rabbi, Alevy Jewish Student Services 2004-2009
- Director Of Outreach & Programming for Poland, The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation-Poland, 1998—2001
Education
- Rabbinical Ordination, 2003, Ohr Somayach Yeshiva, Monsey, NY
- Darche Noam Yeshiva 1996-1998, Yerushalayim, Israel
- MA in Jewish Studies, with Honors, 1995, Oxford University, England
- BA in Jewish Studies, Magna Cum Laude, 1993, University of Oregon
- Fulbright Fellowship, Polish-Jewish Studies, 1993-4, Krakow, Poland
We are huge Rabbi YO fans! We can’t thank you enough for always being available to answer our millions of questions – wished we lived closer and could see the whole Bookstein clan more often — Mazel Tov on the newest addition… we can’t wait to meet him!
Tech-Geek Rabbi Yo has to be one of my best pals out there. Not only can we geek out about the latest gizmos, but he continues to be a guiding figure for my spiritual development. Thanks Yo.
Hi Rabbi Bookstein:
gut shabas – I am emailing before Shabbat as I think you and I have a mutual rav – Hanan Sills.
If you are the Rabbi Bookstein he speaks of, please email me after Shabbat, I’d like to visit a bit.
Shabbat Shalom,
jimmy kessler
galveston, texas
galvreb@swbell.net
[...] attend the Jewlicious Festival 3.0. As the festivities grew near, David and Oyster coordinated with Rabbi Yonah, Jewlicious Festival Director, on how to get as many people from Nor-Cal to attend the festival. [...]
I am gathering photographs for a college textbook titled GOVERNMENT BY THE PEOPLE 23e by Magleby for Prentice-Hall publishers. My author would like to include your photo of the sign at Irvine saying “Caution, Hate Speech Zone Ahead”. Do you have a hi res 300 dpi 5×7 size jpg of this photo and may we have permission to use it in our textbook? Need ASAP. We can pay a fee of $200 and give you a photo credit line in the book.
Thank you,
Teri
How do you feel about Sarah Palin quoting a prominent anti-Semite, Westbrook Pegler in her convention acceptance speech?
Also her Church pastor has hosted Jews for Jesus leader on more than one occasion.
As a Jew, this gives me pause way more than Jeremiah Wright ranting about Hurricane Katrina and racism.
Hey Rabi Bookstein,
I finally tracked you down. Just viewed a video of you during the Jewlicious festival. Great seeing your larger than life smile and Bookstein love. Sounds like you are doing incredibly well. Would be amazing to reconnect one day soon. I am living in Florida with my wife a two beautiful girls.
Want to here more about what you are doing.
Sending you lost of nachas.
Josh Reich
[...] Rabbi Yonah and Rachel Bookstein have assembled a global volunteer army who spend thousands of hours building Jewlicious. The festival constantly evolves to meet the current interests of the students and young people for whom it is created…and who comprise the majority of the volunteers. [...]
[...] the president of the Beach Hillel advisory board when our director Rachel Bookstein and her husband Rabbi Yonah spoke about putting together baskets to deliver to members of the community who had been supportive [...]